5 Spots to Stretch Beauty Bucks
People always ask me where to get makeup on the cheap or free. Being a Fashion and Beauty writer, it kind of goes with the territory. So, you want some sweet industry secrets?
Courtesy of buzzfeed.com
Ah, my favorite place in the world for free shit. Thank God for Sephora. As a beauty blogger I used to go in and ask these girls if they had samples of products I could write about, and they would slide me something free. As a full-on Fashion & Beauty Writer, I just roll in and say, “Give me all your new shit free.”
I went to Cannes Film Festival this May, I couldn’t take full-size products on the flight because I opted for carry-on only. I also wasn’t about to hit the red carpet without my hella expensive face wash, B.B. cream, eye serum (that stuff is like $115), or my bad-ass bronzer. Men have no idea what we do to look good – or what we spend on it.
So, I hit up Sephora on Broadway, 34th and 5th Avenue. I scored enough free pots of all my products to get me through two weeks of red carpet crazy. You can also get free makeovers, score shit on clearance and take home any product your little heart desires. Oh, join the beauty club. You get points to use on more free products and you get a birthday gift every year that is soooo very worth it.
Courtesy of twitter.com
Dude. Forget everything like Birchbox, ipsy, and all that other crap. Hello, awesome! BOXYCHARM is making waves in the makeup department. For $21 a month you get a box of new makeup delivered right to your door with the retail value of $100 worth of product in it. No brainer, really. They also have a points system that you can score even more free stuff with! No brainer.
Oh, and I have that Reveal3D palette. It’s awesome!
Courtesy of Sephora
Want your own lipstick created just for you!? Check out Bite Beauty Lab. For $45 you can go to their beauty lab and create your own edgy, edible lipstick. Book in groups of 4 or more, and have a damn party there. A good lippie is worth a million smackers, and this stuff is pigment rich/hella awesome. Even though it might seem like it’s expensive, the color is customized to your skin tone so it’s worth the extra bucks in the long run – as far as I’m concerned! But I spend dumb amounts of money on really good makeup.
Courtesy of mod-mag.com
Looking for a cheap-ass place to get your brows trimmed? Hit up a Benefit Brow Bar. For five dollas, they’ll shape those bad boys up – and it’s less painful than all that waxing shit. You’re not born with it, but you can at least clean it up ladies.
Want those cleaned up brows to pop!? Opt for Benefit’s Tinting Services and wake up with makeup on. For $20-$23.00 you can give your eyes some color! Had my dumb-ass self-known about this service before Cannes, I would have done it in lieu of the shit spray tan that faded before I even got on the plane…
Courtesy of TV Line
Don’t have the money for those eye lash extensions everyone is getting in Manhattan these days. Benefit also does Lash Application for $10-$15.00. Perfect for a big night out or red carpet event!
Department Store Counters
Don’t be afraid to hit up the department stores like Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Nordstrom. They all have counters like Clinique, Smashbox, Mac and Chanel – just to name a few. They all do free makeovers if you sign up. You can also just roll in and ask about a foundation or primer and what it looks like on. Talk to the sales person about what you are looking for…they’ll try to get you to buy a product, but don’t feel obligated unless you really like it!
Fuck Sak’s Fifth Avenue. Don’t go there. I got Pretty Woman’d in that place. On 5th Avenue. I was looking for a dress for the world premiere of my film in Cannes. No one would help me. Then this bitch looks me up and down all nasty…
And I realize it’s because I’m wearing flip flops. Shit off with your crap attitude, Lady. I’m trying to score free makeup and shit. So, I can spend the equivalent of two months rent on a dress in your stupid store.
Just avoid that place like the plague when you want to save your dignity and some money. I mean this look cost me 60 bucks, and the dress and sunglasses are both designer.
The pout is worth a million because I never really spend that much on makeup – and you don’t have to either!
